Electrothermal-bath apparatus.



No. 794.208. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905. F. W. WEEKS. ELEGTROTHERMAL BATH APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED I'IBB.24.1903.

3 BHBETS-SHEET l.

No. 794.208. v PATENTBD JULY 11, 1905.

FLW. WEEKS.

' ELEGTROTHERMAL BATH APPARATUS.

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3 SHEETS-$113115! 2.

No. 794.208. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905;.

. P. w. WEEKS.

ELEGTROTEERMAL BATH APPARATUS.

.AIPLIOA'IION FILED FEB. 24. 1903.

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UNTTED STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. WVEEKS, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WEEKS ELECTRICAL COMPANY, A CORPORA- TION OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTROTHERMAL-BATH APPARATUS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,208, dated July 11, 1905.

Application filed February 24, 1903. Serial No. 144,781. I

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK W. WEEKS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of San Antonio, Bexar cou nty, Texas,

have invented a certain new and useful Imnaryincandescentlamps. Preferably the said lamps are mounted on a frame or body which may be termed a-lamp-rack and which is preferably provided with folding legs. Thus constructed the lamp-rack can be placed over a person lying on a bed, and after covering both the person and the lamp-rack with a suitable covering or wrapping-such, for eX- ample, as ordinary sheets or blankets-the current can then be turned on for the purpose of permitting the lamps to heat up the chamber formed beneath the rack and covering. In this way my improved thermal-bath apparatus can be employed for giving a person a thermal bath while in bed, which is obviously of great advantage, especially in'the case of a person who is too weak or ill to leave the bed. As another advantage the lamp-rack, with its legs folded, can he leaned against the wall, and by placing a chair in front ofthe rack a person can then be given a thermal-bath while in a sitting posture, it being only necessary to inclose the rack, chair, and body of the person with the sheets or other wrapping and to then turn on the current, and thereby heat up the chamber formed inside the wrapping, as in the former case. Thus it will be seen that my improved thermal-bath apparatus'is of a character to permit it to be employed with convenience and facility in various ways and in accordance with the desires of the person taking the bath or in'accordance with the physical condition of the patient. The nature and advantages of my invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawmgs, Figure 1 1s a perspective of the lamp-rack which preferably constitutes the main portion of my improved electrothermal-bath apparatus. Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the said lamp-rack arranged above a person on a bed. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing in addition a sheet, blanket, or other suitable wrapping spread over the rack for the purpose of inclosing the rack and person, and thereby providing asort of chamber in which the temperature is then raised to the desired point for the purpose of giving the person a thermal or heat bath Fig. 4 shows the lamprack arranged in a vertical position back of a chair, the latter being shown in dotted lines, and shows the wrapping in position to be brought forward about the chair and body of the person taking the bath. Fig. 5 is a perspective similar to Fig. 4, but showing the body of the person, the chair, and the lamprack completely enveloped by the wrapping.

As thus illustrated, my improved thermalbath apparatus comprises, first, a suitable lamp-rack Asuch, for example, as the one shown in Fig. 1. This lamp-rack may oomprise a rectangular frame composed of the end and side bars a and a and provided at its corners with swinging or folding legs a The lamp-strips or mounting-bars a are arranged to extend parallel with the side bars a and are secured to the end bars a in any suitable or desired manner. Preferably, however, these lamp-strips or mounting-bars are provided at their ends with notches or recesses adapted to receive the said end bars a. The side and end bars can be connected and secured together by bolts to. With this construction the rack or framework can be readily knocked down or taken apart, and the two lamp-bars can be adjusted laterally upon the end bars of the frame. Preferably thelampstrips or mounting-bars are of some depth, and the incandescent lamps a are distributed along these bars or strips in the manner illustrated. With the lamp-strips or mountingbars thus formed and with the lamps arranged to project laterally between the bars the arrangement is such that the lamps are in quite a measure protected against breakage. other words, the arrangement is such that the lamps do not project either downwardly or upwardly and are not in position to be accidentally broken off from the rack.

'The folding legs a can be secured to the side bars by means of pivot-bolts a and the legs can be caused to remain in the desired position by means of butterfly-nuts a With this construction the rack can be supported by its legs upon a bed, the legs being of course of sufiicient length to support the rack in a properly-elevated position above the person lying on the bed, and, on the other hand, if a person desires to occupy a sitting posture while taking a bath then the legs of the rack can be folded up and brought inside the side bars, so as to permit the rack as a whole to he leaned against a wall or in any other way supported in an upright position.

In Fig. 2 the lamp-rack, with its legs extended, is showni n position above the person lying on the bed. When thus positioned on the bed, it will be seen that the lamps are supported immediately above the body of the person and that the rack as a whole provides a framework upon which the sheets, blankets, or other wrapping may be thrown for the purpose of providing a chamber in which the temperature can be brought up to the point desired or necessary for a thermal bath. After the rack has been properly placed upon the bed, as shown in Fig. 2, the cloth or other flexible wrapping B can then be spread over the rack, as shown in Fig. 3, and when thus completely enveloped the person lying on the bed is ready to be subjected to a thermal bath. Thus, as previously stated, the apparatus is of a character to permit a person to take a thermal bath without leaving the bed.

In Fig. 4 the lamp-rack is shown in a vertical position behind a chair, the latter being shown in dotted lines. In this case the legs of the rack can be folded up, as illustrated, so as not to interfere with the relative adjustment of the rack and chair nor with the adjustment of the wrapping about the same.

In Fig. 5 the person taking the bath is shown seated upon the chair and completely enveloped by the sheet or other wrapping B. When completely surrounded or enveloped by the said wrapping, a chamber is of course "formed in which the heat of the lamps after Inl rack is preferably of the form andconstruc-= tion shown in the drawings, although itmay be changed or modified without departing from the spirit of my invention. The support for the person can be, as shown and described, either a bed or chair or even the fioor, if a standing posture is desirable. The flexible wrapping can be of any suitable or desired character and can be of any material capable of providing a chamber which can be brought up to the desired temperature.

The incandescent lamps can be mounted in any suitable manner upon the rack. For example, they can be provided with sockets or bases of the ordinary form or character, and with this arrangement the lamps can be readily removed or replaced when such is necessary, and as a further advantage of this arrangement the number of lamps can be varied according to the degree of temperature desired for the thermal bath. The lamp-sockets can be wired and arranged in circuit in any suitable or approved manner.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by my invention I provide a very simple and inexpensive form of thermal-bath apparatus, which involves neither the use of alcohol, oil, or other like liquids, and which thus obviates the use of anything likely to produce objectionable odors, and, furthermore, my improved apparatus is absolutely safe, inasmuch as it is operated electrically and is hence of a character to preclude all possibility of the wrapping catching fire, and, finally, the character of my improved apparatus necessitates the purchase of but one article, the balance of the apparatus being then made up of ordinary household articles.

If desired and in order that the position of the rack or framework above the person can be varied, the swinging legs a can be provided with a series of pivot holes or openings a. With this arrangement the length of the legs can be varied, and the lamps can be arranged as close to the body of the person as is necessary or desirable, and with the formation and construction of the rack or frame the wrapping or covering will not touch the lamps when the apparatus is in use.

One of the prominent features and advantages of my invention is its portability. Ordinarily and as far as I am aware it has always been the practice to so construct thermal-bath apparatus as to render it non-portable and as to make it necessary for the patient to be moved or brought to the apparatus. With my improved arrangement, however, the apparatus is of a light and portable nature, making itunnecessary for the patient to leave the bed. In other words, I provide thermal-bath apparatus which can be brought to the patient or person desiring to take the bath and which can be put in operation and employed with facility, even though the person be lying on the bed, and at this juncture it will be seen that there is no necessity of first removing the covering from the person before arranging the lamp-rack in positionthat is to say, the lamp-rack, with its legs folded, can be readily slipped under the bedclothes and over the body of the person lying on the bed, and the legs can then be unfolded and the rack arranged in position, and then when the bath is over the current can be turned off, the legs folded, and the lamp-rack slipped out from beneath the covering or wrapping. This is accomplished without letting the cold air touch the body of the patient.

One of the essential features of my invention, it will be seen, consists in combining a non-oxygen-burning heating device with a removable and flexible wrapping or inclosure having a non heat and light radiating and reflecting inner surface. Also an essential part.

of this combination consists of a portable support or framework, upon which the said heating means is mounted and which is adapted to be handled readily and placed in the desired position relative to the body of the person taking the bath. Furthermore, the feature of a light portable frame or body provided with lamps or other electric heating devices affords opportunity for placing the apparatus in either a horizontal or vertical position, according to the requirements or desires of the patient.

l/Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. A portable frame or body comprising parallel side bars and transverse end bars, parallel lamp-bars adjustably mounted on said end bars, a suitable number of electric lamps removably mounted upon said lamp-bars and projecting laterally therefrom, and adjustable legs for said frame or body, the structure as a whole being adapted and designed for use in conjunction with a flexible wrapping for taking thermal baths.

2. As an article of manufacture, a light and portable wooden frame provided with folding legs and laterally-adj ustable parallel bars, and a plurality of incandescent lamps removably secured to and projecting laterally from said bars, the frame thus constructed being adapted to be placed on a bed over the body of a person, or to be folded and placed back of a chair on which the person is sitting, the structure as a whole being adapted for use in taking thermal baths in either of the ways specified.

3. Apparatus for taking thermal baths, comprising a rectangular frame composed of parallel side bars and transverse end bars, a plurality of laterally-adjustable and parallel lampbars mounted on said transverse bars, adjustable legs for said frame, a plurality of incandescent lamps removably secured to and projecting laterally from said lamp-bars, and a flexible wra 'iping for inclosing the said structure and the body of the person.

4. As an article of manufacture, aframe provided with parallel bars, incandescent lamps mounted upon and projecting from the sides of said bars, the structure as a whole being adapted for use in conjunction with a flexible wrapping for taking thermal baths.

5. As an article of manufacture, a rectangular frame having side and end bars, and having also parallel lamp-bars, said lamp-bars being of a depth to extend below the side and end bars, and incandescent lamps secured to and projecting laterally from the sides of said lamp bars, the structure as a whole being adapted to be placed on a bed over the body of the person taking the bath, and to be employed in conjunction with a flexible wrapping.

6. A portable electrothermal-bath apparatus, comprising a rectangular wooden frame provided with folding legs and adapted to be placed on a bed over the body of a person lying thereon, or to be placed upright back of a chair upon which a person is sitting, a plurality of incandescent lamps mounted upon said frame, and a flexible Wrapping for covering or inclosing said frame and the body of the person taking the bath.

7. A portable electrothermal-bath apparatus, comprising a light wooden framework adapted to be placed on a bed over the body of a person lying thereon, or to be placed upright back of a chair upon which a person is sitting. a plurality of incandescent lamps detachably and adjustably mounted upon said framework, and a cloth wrapping for covering or inclosing said structure and the body of the person taking the bath.

8. A portable electrothermal-bath apparatus, comprising a suitable body-frame, a plurality of incandescent lamps detachably secured to said body-frame, said lamps being mounted for horizontal endwise adjustment, and a cloth wrapping for-inclosing or covering the said structure and the body of the person taking the bath.

9. A portable electrothermalbath apparatus comprising a rectangular frame composed of side and end bars, and having also a plurality of intermediate bars extending parallel with said side bars, said intermediate bars being considerably deeper than the side and end bars, adjustable legs secured to said side bars, incandescent lamps projecting laterally from the sides of said intermediate bars, said lamps being wholly within the planes of the top and bottom surfaces of said intermediate bars, and a cloth wrapping for enveloping or covering the said frame and the body of the person taking the bath.

Signed by me at San Antonio, Bexar county, Texas, this 10th day of February, 1903.

FRANK wwnnxs.

Witnesses: J ESSIE BoLToN,

G. S. MCFARLAND. 

